Two years later..."This is bullshit." Roxy pouts as I try and put lip stain on her.It's a normal Friday night here at the shop, but tonight I'm letting my hair down. Well, more down because I always wear it that way. We have a sitter and I'm going to cut loose. I'm not only old enough to drink but I'm not knocked up either. I'm ready to try this drinking thing again and tonight is going to end a whole lot differently than the first time.The only problem is Roxy's pregnant. "It's contagious. You gave it to me." She points to her giant baby bump that's hardly showing. She's small so it looks big in comparison. If I didn't know any better I'd say it was fake. It looks like someone shoved a basketball under her shirt since it's the only place you can tell she's pregnant."There'll be a next time," I try and reassure her."Liar." She pulls back from me and gets up the best she can without falling over. "I heard Nolan talking about having another baby."I laugh because she's right. We've
Seventeen years later..."He's not driving it.""Nolan, we talked about this." Caroline grabs her camera off the kitchen counter and stands there waiting."I'll drive it and drop them off."She rolls her eyes at me like I'm being ridiculous, but I'm worried about our son Sam taking the Mustang to prom."It was his grandfather's car—the man he's named after. He's driving it, and everything is going to be okay."I let out a breath and cross my arms over my chest. There's no way I'm talking her out of this and what Caroline says goes. Mostly because she's right and not that I'm a pushover. I'd give my woman every damn thing she wanted but that won't stop me from worrying."You had a talk with him about...you know?"Caroline rolls her eyes and comes over to stand in front of me. "Yes, we talked about safe sex. But I'm pretty sure you're supposed to talk to him about that too.""I did," I mumble, but all I really did was give him some condoms. She's better at the rest of it than me.She lo
Talia Grande has been shielded her entire life by an overprotective, doting father. Sick of him, she escapes all the way to notorious Vegas to get a breather and start life on her own terms.The first job that comes her way is risky, but Talia has always been all about risks.Make some cash as a cocktail waitress in an infamous, huge casino.As the owner of the biggest casino in Vegas for the past fifteen years, Daniel Hart knows a problem, even with just a glance. Talia is trouble, he's aware. And over his dead body is he going to let the drop-dead gorgeous, innocent farm girl loose on the casino floor or she'll drive his customers — men with questionable influence and loads of wealth — wild.But Talia has already done that. She's turned them to deranged idiots with her smile, her scent, her young, shiny body.He wants her, but he's far too jaded for a girl this innocent and sweet.When he finds out that Talia is homeless and needs a place to lay her head, he takes her home with him.
"No way. I don't interview waitresses."My colleague, Craig, jogs to catch up with me as I march down the carpeted hallway between offices. "Please. I've got a staffing issue tonight I've got to deal with. Just ask the girl a few questions, make sure she's got a nice ass and send her off to HR to do paperwork.""No.""God, you are such an asshole," he laughs, but there's frustration beneath the sound.So be it. I'm not here to make friends. In fact, in my position as a pit boss on the casino floor, I'm better off not having friends. I'm here to make sure cash flows the right direction and every cent of it is accounted for. I'm here to monitor gamblers and dealers, to make sure no one is trying to steal from the house. That's my profession, I'm damn good at it. And interviewing waitresses is not in the job description.Besides, there are rumors about how Craig likes to "interview" the girls and I want no part of that vile behavior. I witness more than enough debauchery throughout my ni
I don't understand why I'm suddenly on fire from head to toe.This is Craig?When I pictured the kind of man who would expect a female to remove her dress in order to get a job, I imagined him a lot more...smarmy. Slick.This man has integrity in every bulging line of his big body.No, big doesn't even begin to do him justice. He's a mountain.A beautiful, magnificent mountain.As I follow him down the hallway to the final door, I must squeeze my keys hard enough to hurt the palms of my hand. Otherwise, I fear I'll reach for him. Run my fingertips along his mammoth shoulders, sink them into his black hair. I have the strangest urge to climb onto his back and be carried. My goodness, that would be the most secure place in the world. On the back of this giant, my legs around his waist.That last part creates a pulsing sensation between my thighs.I bite down hard on my bottom lip and consider excusing myself to the bathroom, so I can rub myself through my panties. I know from experience
"Never." I'm very annoyed at him and yet...I want to crawl into his lap and pout and incite him further. My urges seem to conflict with the situation. Shouldn't I want to slap him, instead of crawling closer and getting right in his face? Because that's where I am. Leaned forward, matching his pose, until our faces are very close together. "Tell me what I'm built for.""No," he booms.Though his raised voice makes my insides tremble a little, I stand my ground. Somehow I know he wouldn't lay a finger on me out of anger. But how do I know that? "Then I'll just go get a job at a different casino and find out."That's a bluff. None of the other casinos answered my résumé submission—which I spent all day yesterday sending out from a Staples off the Strip. I don't lie often, but again, there is something inside of me that naturally pushes this man's buttons for enjoyment. Like I'm supposed to. Like it's the right thing for us.His gaze is locked on my mouth and he swallows over and over ag
I'm in a cave. That's how I've felt all day.Like I'm locked in a dwelling made of stone that continues to close in on me, suffocating the breath from my lungs and exerting pressure on all sides. Leaving me ready to burst. A strangled roar has been building in my throat all day and I am almost to my SUV in the underground parking lot where I will let it out. As soon as I'm inside, I'm going to shout loud and long enough to shatter the glass.I struck that sweet young girl.I spanked her until my handprints appeared on her cheeks.I'm surprised no one came to arrest me during my shift in the pit. God knows I deserve to be locked behind bars for the rest of my life for what I've done. Putting that angel over my knee and...abusing that supple ass with slaps. I've never done anything like it in my life. Never even thought about spanking a female. Maybe if my brain would stop insisting that she liked it, I could stop obsessing over every single second of it.But memories continue to rock m
My breath is fogging the glass because I'm trying to get a better look up her skirt. What is it going to be like when she's living in my home? Torture. But not knowing where she's living or if she's safe would be a hundred times worse.She leans closer to the glass and I can't help it, I can't keep my gaze from devouring her perky tits where they spill out of her neckline. Braless. She obviously took off the white underthing to sleep. God help me. "If you give me the waitressing job," she says through the glass. "I'll come with you."This girl is going to cause absolute bedlam in the casino. But in that moment, I would give my life in exchange to have her warm in my apartment, eating a meal. Safe. "Very well, Talia. But there will be rules."A few seconds tick by. Then she unlocks the rear passenger door. I waste zero time wrenching open the rusted metal barrier and scooping her off the back seat, marching around the back bumper of my SUV with my eyes resolutely ahead. Don't look. Don